A new study found that 20% of what Granite Staters throw in the trash is recyclable. Those materials are also worth a lot of money – roughly $23 million. And these are the kinds of things commonly included in recycling programs, like newspapers, cans and plastic water bottles.

In Keene, 80% of what people bring to the dump is trash that ends up in a landfill, and those bags also often have recycling inside.

Duncan Watson is the head of Keene’s recycling center and transfer station. Even though he’s proud of his work, he’ll let you call it the dump.

“I’ve surrendered to it,” he said. “I don’t smell trash, I smell money. Waste is a big business.”.

Trash disposal and recycling bring in some serious cash. The Keene dump pays for itself by charging people who bring trash to the facility

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